Bahrain GP: Will Ferrari's 'intense' recovery work pay off?

Watch the Bahrain GP weekend live on Sky Sports F1, beginning with Practice at 11am and 3pm on Friday

By James Galloway in Bahrain

Last Updated: 29/03/19 10:49am

Sebastian Vettel says Ferrari have engaged in an "intense" period of analysis since being routed by Mercedes in Australia - but admits there are no guarantees about their form at this weekend's Bahrain GP.

Ferrari are expected to hit back at the season's second round, starting in practice on Friday from 11am live on Sky Sports F1, on a circuit Vettel has won at in each of the last two seasons.

But while the team are confident they have understood the reasons for finishing off the podium in Melbourne, Vettel conceded they still could not promise an immediate return to their eye-catching pre-season form.

"There was a lot of thoughts and big analysis after Melbourne because certainly we wanted to be in a different place," said Vettel. "So the last couple of weeks have been intense, but I think we have some answers.

"But, as always, you'll never get all the answers because you never get the chance to go back and repeat [the race].

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Simon Lazenby and Martin Brundle discuss all the major talking points ahead of the Bahrain GP

Simon Lazenby and Martin Brundle discuss all the major talking points ahead of the Bahrain GP

"Things move on, we're here now in Bahrain, a different track, but we've learnt some stuff about the car, ourselves, to be more competitive.

"But we're not in a position to be able to make promises. It's all theory, so we need to prove it on track."

Where did Ferrari struggle?With the team not finding the set-up sweet-spot of the SF90 at the season-opener despite the car's prowess throughout winter testing at Barcelona, Ferrari struggled in many of Albert Park's slower corners and on the straights.

"We were slow pretty much everywhere, with the exception of the high-speed corners," explained Vettel. "There the car was like Barcelona, but everywhere else it wasn't."

However, Vettel is confident Mercedes' comfortable one-two has not set the tone for the world championship battle ahead.

"Melbourne has shown its quite close ," he added. "Mercedes was very dominant but I expect the next races to be tighter.

"Hopefully we'll be closer to the front.

Vettel added: "The key factor for me is that I drove a car in winter testing that I really liked and felt comfortable in - it was doing what I wanted, I didn't have much to moan or complain about. But we went to Australia and it was not there."